Where to Submit Short Stories: 23 Magazines and Websites That Want Your Work

As with writing contests and fellowships, sometimes it can be hard to know where to begin. To help you figure out where to submit short stories, we’ve put together this guide to 23 publications that publish short fiction. The list includes a mix of publications across various genres and styles, ranging from prestigious, highly competitive options to those specifically seeking new and emerging voices.

While we’ll give you a brief idea of the flavor of each magazine and site, you’ll definitely want to spend some time reading your target publications before submitting to become familiar with the sort of pieces they prefer. And before hitting “send,” make sure you’re not making any of these submission mistakes!

Ready to get started? Here are 23 outlets that publish short stories.

1. The New Yorker

Might as well start with a bang, right? Adding publication in The New Yorker to your portfolio puts you in a whole new league, though it won’t be easy. Author David. B. Comfort calculated the odds of an acceptance at 0.0000416 percent!

It accepts both standard short fiction as well as humorous short fiction for the “Shouts & Murmurs” section. No word counts are mentioned, though a quick scan of the column shows most pieces are 600 to 1,000 words.

Payment: Huge bragging rights; pay for unsolicited submissions isn’t specified. Who Pays Writers lists several paid pieces, though as of this post’s publication, no rates specifically for short stories.

2. The Atlantic

Another highly respected magazine, The Atlantic publishes both big names and emerging writers in fiction and nonfiction. Submission guidelines advise, “A general familiarity with what we have published in the past is the best guide to what we’re looking for.”

Payment: Unsolicited submissions are generally unpaid, although if the editors choose your piece for online content, you may receive $100-$200 depending on genre and length.

3. The Threepenny Review

This quarterly arts magazine focuses on literature, arts and society, memoir and essay. Short stories should be no more than 4,000 words, while submissions to the “Table Talk” section (pithy, irreverent and humorous musings on culture, art, politics and life) should be 1,000 words or less.

4. Zoetrope: All-Story

Founded by Francis Ford Coppola and Adrienne Brodeur in 1997, Zoetrope: All-Story’s mission is “to explore the intersection of story and art, fiction and film” and “form a bridge to storytellers at large, encouraging them to work in the natural format of a short story.” Submissions should be no more than 7,000 words.

Payment: None, but this magazine has discovered many emerging writers and published big names like Salman Rushdie and Gabriel García Márquez, so publication here could win you some serious prestige points.

5. One Story

One Story is just what the name says: a literary magazine that publishes one great short story every three to four weeks, and nothing more.

Its main criteria for a great short story? One “that leaves readers feeling satisfied and [is] strong enough to stand alone.” Stories can be any style or subject but should be between 3,000 and 8,000 words.

6. The Antioch Review

The Antioch Review rarely publishes more than three short stories per issue, but its editors are open to new as well as established writers. Authors published here often wind up in Best American anthologies and as the recipients of Pushcart prizes.

To make the cut, editors say, “It is the story that counts, a story worthy of the serious attention of the intelligent reader, a story that is compelling, written with distinction.” Word count is flexible, but pieces tend to be under 5,000.

7. AGNI

Thought-provoking is the name of the game if you want to get published in AGNI. Its editors look for pieces that hold a mirror up to the world around us and engage in a larger, ongoing cultural conversation about nature, mankind, the society we live in and more.

There are no word limits, but shorter is generally better; “The longer a piece is, the better it needs to be to justify taking up so much space in the magazine,” note the submission guidelines.

Payment: $10 per printed page (up to a max of $150) plus a year’s subscription, two contributor’s copies and four gift copies

8. Barrelhouse

Published by an independent nonprofit literary organization, Barrelhouse’s biannual print journal and online issue seek to “bridge the gap between serious art and pop culture.” Its editors look for quality writing that’s also edgy and funny — as they say, they “want to be your weird Internet friend.”

Deadline: Currently open for books, comics, and a few other categories. Check the webpage to see all open categories and sign up for the newsletter to learn as soon as new open categories are announced.

9. Cincinnati Review

The Cincinnati Review publishes work by writers of all genres and at all points of their careers. Its editors want “work that has energy,” that is “rich in language and plot structure” and “that’s not just ecstatic, but that makes is reader feel ecstatic, too.”

Fiction and nonfiction submissions should be no more than 40 double-spaced pages.

10. The First Line

This cool quarterly is all about jumpstarting that pesky writer’s block. Each issue contains short fiction stories (300-5,000 words) that each begin with the same pre-assigned first line. You can also write a nonfiction critical essay (500-800 words) about your favorite first line from a piece of literary work.

If you really want to get ambitious, you can also write a four-part story that uses each of that year’s first lines (which is due by the next year’s spring issue deadline). To find each issue’s assigned first line, check out the submission guidelines below.

11. The Georgia Review

Another one high on the prestige list, The Georgia Review features a wide variety of essays, fiction, book reviews and more across a wide range of topics. You can read specific requirements for each in the submission guidelines below, but the common theme among them all is quality, quality, quality.

Bear in mind submitting requires a $3 processing fee if you’re not a subscriber.

13. Camera Obscura

Camera Obscura is a biannual independent literary journal that publishes contemporary literary fiction and photography. Fiction should be between 250 and 8,000 words, although its editors have made exceptions for the occasional “exceptional novella” between 12,000 and 30,000 words.

You can also try your hand at a “Bridge the Gap” piece, where you review the current photo gallery and construct a story that “Takes the reader on an unexpected journey from the first image to the next.”

Deadline: Stay tuned to the guidelines page to find out when the next deadline is announced.

Payment: $1,000 to one featured writer published in each issue, as determined by the editors; all other contributors receive two copies of the issue in which they are published. The best Bridge the Gap piece receives $50.

14. Crazyhorse

Open to a wide variety of fiction from mainstream to avant-garde, Crazyhorse puts no limitations on style or form. If you’ve got something people haven’t seen before and won’t be able to forget, its editors are looking for it.

Crazyhorse also accepts nonfiction of any sort, including memoirs, journal entries, obituaries, etc. — we told you it’s open to anything! Keep your word count between 2,500 and 8,500 words.

Deadline: Open for submissions from September 1 to May 31, except for the month of January (when it only accepts entries for the Crazyhorse Prizes)

Payment: $20 per printed page (up to a max of $200)

15. Story

Story Magazine is, you guessed it, all about the story, whatever shape it takes. Each issue is based around a theme, but its editors encourage writers to think outside the box when it comes to how to address that theme — fiction, nonfiction, hybrid forms, “hermit-crab essays” and more are all up for consideration.

Deadline: Open January 1 to May 1 (print magazine); open February, April, June, August, and October (online)

Payment: Not specified

16. Vestal Review

Prefer to keep your short stories extremely short? Vestal Review publishes flash fiction of no more than 500 words. Its editors are open to all genres except for syrupy romance, hard science fiction and children’s stories, and they have a special fondness for humor. R-rated content is OK, but stay away from anything too racy, gory or obscene.

Deadline: Submission periods are February to May and August to November

Payment: Ten cents per word (for stories up to 100 words); five cents per word (101-200 words); three cents per word (201-500 words). “Stories of great merit” in their estimation can receive up to a $25 flat fee.

17. Flash Fiction Online

Flash Fiction Online allows for slightly longer flash stories — between 500 and 1,000 words. Its editors like sci-fi and fantasy but are open to all genres. As with Vestal, stay away from the heavier stuff like erotica and violence. As of March 1, 2015, FFO accepts previously published works.

18. Black Warrior Review

Black Warrior Review publishes a mix of work by up-and-coming writers and nationally known names. Fiction pieces of up to 7,000 words should be innovative, challenging and unique; its editors value “absurdity, hybridity, the magical [and] the stark.”

BWR also accepts flash fiction under 1,000 words and nonfiction pieces (up to 7,000 words) that examine and challenge beliefs and boundaries. There is a $3 submission fee.

Deadline: Submission periods are December 1 to March 1 and June 1 to September 1

Payment: A one-year subscription to BWR and a nominal lump-sum fee (amount not disclosed in its guidelines)

19. The Sun Magazine

The Sun Magazine offers some of the biggest payments we’ve seen, and while its guidelines specifically mention personal writing and provocative political/cultural pieces, they also say editors are “open to just about anything.”

Works should run no more than 7,000 words. Submit something the editors love, and you could get a nice payday.

20. Virginia Quarterly (VQR)

A diverse publication that features both award-winning and emerging writers, VQR accepts short fiction (2,000 to 8,000 words) but is not a fan of genre work like romance, sci-fi, etc. It also takes nonfiction (3,500 to 9,000 words) like travel essays that examine the world around us.

Deadline: Submission periods are June 15 to July 31 and October 1 to November 15. VQR also accepts nonfiction pitches from June 15 to December 1.

Payment: Generally $1,000 and above for short fiction and prose (approximately 25 cents per word) with higher rates for investigative reporting; $100 to $200 for content published online.

21. Ploughshares

Ploughshares’ award-winning literary journal is published by Boston’s Emerson College. They accept fiction and nonfiction under 6,000 words and require a $3 service fee if you submit online (it’s free to submit by mail, though they prefer digital submissions).

Payment: $25 per printed page (for a minimum of $50 per title and a maximum of $250 per author).

22. Shimmer

Shimmer “encourages authors of all backgrounds to write stories that include characters and settings as diverse and wondrous as the people and places of the world we live in.”

Traditional sci-fi and fantasy need not apply; Shimmer’s editors are after contemporary fantasy and “speculative fiction” with strong plots, characters and emotional core — the more unique the better. Keep your stories under 7,500 words (4,000 words is around the sweet spot).

23. Daily Science Fiction

Sci-fi and fantasy writers, this one’s for you. Daily Science Fiction is looking for character-driven fiction, and the shorter, the better. While their word count range is 100 to 1,500 words, they’re especially eager to get flash fiction series (several flash stories based around a central theme), science fiction, fantasy, and slipstream.

Payment: Eight cents per word, with the possibility of additional pay for reprints in themed Daily Science Fiction anthologies

Where to find more places to submit your short stories

These 23 magazines and online publications are just a small subset of what’s out there. For more potential places to share your short fiction, check out the following resources, several of which helped us compile this list:

HA!I KNEW there was a reason I didn’t submit to Glimmer Train! I learned a long time ago that it’s the author who is supposed to get paid. (Unless you’re into vanity…)

Personally I have the idea (perhaps mistaken) that my time and effort is worthy of compensation. I can see paying a nominal fee (the professional readers are also worthy of compensation), but at the G.T. rate, you are paying them to read your work, with a minuscule chance of publication.

Hey! Maybe instead of being a writer, I should be a publisher! I could charge each submission about $15 or $20, (G.T.’s rates) publish one story online, and make a mint! ;-D

Just an update on this, Glitter train currently says this on their submission page, “Contact us if the $2 ​processing ​fee is a hardship. No one should be prevented from submitting their work for lack of funds.” The actually submission page lists it at $18 but they do seem open to negotiating that. I’m fully of the belief that it is the author that should be getting paid but just passing along what I just saw on their site.

It’s Glimmer Train not Glitter Train and if you have no money they will skip the charge or lower it so it is a very fair site, ran by decent women who actually give a hoot about decent writing. I haven’t submitted to them yet, but plan to. I like their web site and magazine

We couldn’t find any information on pay specifically for short stories. I’ve updated the entry with a link to the Who Pays Writers submissions for the magazine, and maybe readers can chime in if they know of pay for short stories.

Of course it does. It’s one of the highest paying magazines – last I heard it was $1 per word. They just don’t list it. it might be a sliding scale depending on the notoriety of the writer, agents etc.

Thanks for checking in, Angie! The New Yorker does pay for some pieces, but we haven’t seen any information about pay for short stories. I’ve updated the entry to be clearer, as well as a link to the Who Pays Writers entries for the magazine.

If any readers know whether the magazine pays for short stories, we’d love to know!

While we don’t pay for submissions, we always accept short stories, poetry, chapters and more. We also run a few contests a year with a small entry fee and decent cash prizes and publication in the annual anthology.

We are currently open for submissions. Our guidelines and all the good stuff can be found at http://eatsleepwrite.net/submissions. While you’re there check out the current contest and enter your piece!

Great list of heavy hitters. These are terrific publications, but most of them are extremely tough to crack and several only really consider agented submissions (even if their guidelines say otherwise). I think emerging writers should also submit to smaller magazines that are open to work by unpublished or not-widely-published writers (like Fiction Attic!). As a NYT bestselling author with four novels and two story collections under my belt , I know that my chances of getting into the New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Zoetrope, or Boulevard are exceedingly slim. Unpublished writers may find a home for their work at reputable, university-sponsored magazines, which are often run by MFA candidates and may be more serious about reading unsolicited, unagented submissions.

Done and done. Fairly good morning’s work. Writ the a story full all of cleverness and have subsequent sent it to most of the above places. I’m not sure as I’ve done the thing quite right, but I’ve done a thing that gives me courage, and there’s rightness in that alone.

Thanks for doing the research. Good luck with your empire. I hope you reign mos’ imperial. You’ve got the right sort of organized mind for it, if you’ve nothing else.

Might need some help Steph. I have written many essays and short real life snippets, in fact, I have enuf to put into a whole book but I don’t know what the heck to call all these stories!! Little snippets of true life stories, lots and lots of them. I don’t know who to submit to or how to go about all this.
Thanks!

Yes, it can be daunting, sitting in front of an ocean of work, wondering how to get it out in the world. (Maybe the trick is allowing it to go!) I think what you’re describing is called a ‘Personal Essay’. Try this site and see if anything excites you. Courage!

I have a piece I’d like to send to The Sun for their Readers Write category. What do they pay for that? I know what they pay in the other sections, but Readers Write isn’t mentioned. Love going thru this list….lots of places to explore. Thanks!

I just got an email from The Sun in response to the question of whether they pay for material you send them for the Readers Write section. The answer is “no” 🙁 This from Holly McKinney of The Sun:

“Suzan,
Thanks for writing. We don’t pay for pieces published in the Readers Write section. Authors receive 2 copies of the issue in which their piece appears and a complimentary 1 year subscription.
Sincerely,
Holly McKinney
Office Manager, The Sun”